I sit in my studio doing restorations of the tango hits a short distance from the location of the world's first record factory and recording studio - set up in 1900 by the inventor of the gramaphone and record, Emile Berliner.

Mr. Berliner was a German immigrant (can you say, bandoneón?) to the USA who worked for Thomas Edison. (The story which follows parallels Edison's futile efforts to quash Alternating Current and it's inventor - who also worked for him for a time, Nikola Tesla).

Mr. Edison was promoting his little wax cylinder thingy as the future of recording. Emile thought that was a non-starter because he wanted to make what he called phonograph records. He invented the record and the players and the means of manufacturing them both.

Edison went ballistic, as was his wont. He tied Berliner up in lawsuits. Tried to make his life miserable.

So, Emile moved from the USA to Montréal, Québec. Built his manufacturing plants and went into business.

In 1900, Berliner sold 2,000 records. In 1901, he sold more than 2 million. And of course, all the machines to play them on. He won his war with Edison, for sure.

It was just on the other side of my neighbourhood where he did all this world-changing work and registered the trademark for his company, "Nipper" - the dog listening to a gramophone. The painter Francis Barraud created the image which was used for more than 70 years. This trademark first appeared from/out-of Montréal on the back of record # 402 - "Hello My Baby", by Frank Banta. (There is a Berliner Museum in Montréal in the building pictured, open on weekends).

In 1924 Berliner's company was bought by the Victor Talking Machine Company, which merged in 1929 with the Radio Corporation of America to become R.C.A. Victor - the company that recorded most of the big tango orquestas, including Di Sarli, and then infuriatingly destroyed the Masters in the 1960's.

Tango lp's of older music were manufactured from masters compiled by recording 78's onto acetate tape. Now you have 2 sets of noise introduced and the limiting tape environment in the way. Those have been put onto CD with not a lot of care.

Tango was made "live" on fragile 78's - a pity compared to how it would be mastered these days - by great musicians whose artistry should not be lost or obscured by noise.